Heirs of the Enemy (72 page)

“Stop that!” scowled the tiny green man.

Garth’s eyes immediately opened. His eyes crossed as he tried to focus on the fairy hovering right above his face. Garth sat up quickly causing Peanut to dart away once again. The fairy hovered a pace away with his hands on his hips. Even in the darkness of the clearing, Garth could see the tiny man’s scowl.

“It is dangerous to be near you,” complained Peanut. “If I wanted danger, I would be somewhere else looking for it. Has no one told you of our delicate wings?”

“Has anyone told you that it is impolite to land on someone’s nose? You should land on my mouth instead. That way I can eat you and not have to bother being awakened.”

The fairy’s eyes grew large with horror at the thought of being eaten. Garth merely grinned at the fairy, mischievously showing his teeth.

“Why are you disturbing my sleep?”

The fairy shuddered even though he knew that Garth was no threat to him. He fluttered down and landed on Garth’s knee as others in the camp began to awaken at the sound of someone talking.

“Clint sent me. The emperor knows that he is an Alcean, but he has made a deal. If Clint can return with enough troops to free the emperor, Jaar will promise not to invade Alcea.”

“As if he could be trusted to follow through with the agreement once he is free,” retorted Garth.

“Clint believes that the offer is genuine, but he will explain it in person. Right now, he needs a squad of A Corps soldiers to be seen about an hour west of the city. He thinks Kyrga might send a scout to verify his claim.”

“I will take care of that,” promised the Knight of Alcea as he rose to his feet. “Is there anything else?”

“K’san is dead. The priest probed the mind of Jaar after the emperor learned about Clint being an Alcean. I dumped the body in the sea. I do not think anyone will know.”

“And Clint was with the emperor at the time?” asked Tedi.

“He was hiding on the balcony.”

“I don’t trust Jaar,” interjected Morro. “The man will not keep his word.”

“He will,” retorted the fairy. “Clint knows about his secret mark. The emperor is convinced that Clint has his family hidden and that he knows about the heir. He even made Clint the Imperial General of the Federation, but I am supposed to let Clint tell you all that.”

Garth looked at Tedi and Natia. “The priest here is dead. There is no reason for us to dally in Despair. As soon as Clint returns, we are heading for Herinak to plan the next phase of our winter campaign.”

“So you don’t think Jaar will keep his end of the bargain?” asked Natia.

“Time will tell what the emperor will or won’t do,” replied Garth, “but I will not stand still for one moment while he makes up his mind. We have many irons in the fire right now. It is time to start bringing them to fruition.”

“You mean the gathering of the heirs?” asked Morro.

“That is the major task of the winter.” Garth nodded. “If Wylan and Edmond are successful, only Aerta will remain unaccounted for, and there is nothing we can do about that country. The heir is a Federation general. I will not take such a person to Herinak.”

“The empire is also unaccounted for,” stated Tedi, “but I understand what you are saying. Having the emperor’s wife and daughters is almost as good as having the heir. We will be ready when you return.”

“Come with me, Peanut,” ordered Garth as he rose to his feet. “You can tell me the rest of Clint’s secrets while we fly out west and position Scorpion’s men so they can be found easily.”

* * * *

The guards saluted Grand General Kyrga as he entered the emperor’s suite. He ignored them. The Grand General walked through the suite to the sleeping chamber, finding the emperor sitting on the edge of his bed, the sunshine from the window illuminating him.

“Have you forgotten how to knock?” scowled the emperor.

Kyrga stared down at Jaar with a sneer upon his face. “Where is the priest?”

“If it’s a priest that you are looking for, perhaps you should try a temple, or have you totally lost your sanity already?”

Kyrga stepped forward and backhanded the emperor. “You are no longer the master here, Jaar. Do not forget your place.”

“You can’t afford to kill me, Kyrga, and if you bruise me, you will have a hard time explaining it to visitors. You may keep me a prisoner here, but you cannot afford to keep me out of view forever. If you do, word will spread, and you will die.”

“Maybe you have a point,” Kyrga replied with a malicious smile. “Perhaps each time you need to be reminded of your position, I will order the beating given to your wife and daughters instead of you.”

Instead of the look of hatred he had expected from the emperor, Jaar merely smiled slightly as if he was enjoying some secret joke. Grand General Kyrga frowned and avoided looking at the emperor. As he glanced around the room, his eyes landed on the floor. Kyrga would never have noticed the aberration had the sun not been shining brightly on the tiles. He squatted and stared at the wavy lines produced by the slanting rays of the sun. Without a word, Kyrga rose and threw open the doors to the balcony. He walked onto the balcony and inspected the length of it, pausing to glance down at the patrols far below. Suddenly, he heard a crash. He turned and raced back to the emperor’s sleeping chamber to find Jaar kneeling on the floor mopping up some liquid with a rag.

“I dropped my cup of tea,” offered the emperor as he continued to scrub the tiles. “That was my favorite cup, too.”

Grand General Kyrga looked down on the emperor only briefly before storming out of the room. He strode through the corridors of the Imperial Palace without acknowledging any of the officers who saluted him. When he entered his office, he slammed the door behind him. The noble already in the room looked at him expectantly.

“Something is wrong,” Kyrga reported. “Jaar’s attitude is not what it should be.”

“How do you mean?”.

“I threatened his family, but he showed no anger. It is as if he knows something that I do not. I cannot explain it any better than that, but there was something else amiss. There was a stain on the floor of his sleeping chamber. It must be recent as the suite is cleaned daily. When he saw me examining it, he purposely dropped a cup of tea in the same spot. He is hiding something.”

“And what about K’san?” asked the noble.

“There was no sign of him. I think you must be mistaken. I am sure that K’san would have told me if he was going to see the emperor.”

“I removed the link between you and K’san,” retorted the noble. “He had no reason to report to you. Have the palace searched, and send a runner to the temple. I think it is time to bring Zycara into the picture.”

“The black-cloak?” frowned the Grand General.

The noble nodded. “I will wait here for both of you.”

Kyrga left the office. An hour later, he returned with a black-cloak by his side. The mage bowed silently to the noble. The noble stood and waved towards the door.

“Take us to Jaar, Grand General.”

“If he sees your face,” frowned Kyrga, “he will know that you are his enemy.”

“You worry too much, Kyrga,” smiled the noble. “The emperor will no longer be a problem for us. It is time for him to join our side.”

Kyrga had no idea what the noble’s words meant, but he knew better than to argue. The Grand General opened the door and led the two men to the emperor’s suite. When they entered the suite, Emperor Jaar was sitting at his desk. He looked up in confusion as the three men entered, and Kyrga closed the door. Jaar stared into the noble’s eyes trying to determine if the man was his savior or his executioner. The confusion was quickly dispelled when the noble spoke with an air of authority.

“Leave us, Kyrga.”

The Grand General left the suite without a word, and Jaar’s eyes narrowed.

“So it is you, Lord Kommoron. I should have been able to figure that out on my own. Have you come to gloat or to kill me?”

“Neither,” the noble replied with a smirk. “Your reign will last until the invasion. Who did you send to retrieve your women?”

Emperor Jaar frowned at the noble’s cryptic answer. With General Forshire already on his way to gather his army, the emperor would be free before the spring, as long as Jaar did not reveal his association with the general.

“My women?” the emperor replied stonily. “I have no idea what you are talking about. My family is quite safe. I have no need to send anyone to tend to them. If I did have someone available to me, I would now be tempted to send them to visit your family. You know the price for treason, Lord Kommoron, but I am in a generous mood today. Leave my presence now, take your cur of a Grand General with you, and I will ignore your gross violation of law. This is the last time I will be so benevolent.”

The noble’s eyes narrowed, and his lips curled in an expression of malevolence. Jaar had expected a burst of anger or a mocking laugh in response to his words, but Lord Kommoron merely nodded to the black-cloak at his side. Emperor Jaar watched in horror as the mage’s arm rose and pointed at him. Before he could shout an objection or move out of the way, a blue blast soared from the mage’s fingertips, and the emperor felt only a moment of chill tingling his body before he froze.

“Can you probe his mind?” asked Lord Kommoron.

“I cannot,” answered Zycara. “K’san has that ability.”

“K’san is dead,” snapped the noble. “I need to know who is working against me.”

“I could gather my brothers and keep the emperor frozen until we can find one with the ability.”

“No,” sighed the noble. “We have kept Jaar isolated for too long already. We are beginning to lose control of the situation. Finish the task assigned to you.”

The mage nodded and moved towards the frozen body of the emperor. Melting the ice around Jaar’s throat, the mage proceeded to strangle the emperor. When the deed was done, Zycara cast the Reflecting Pool spell. The air shimmered around the mage, and Zycara’s features distorted until he became a perfect image of the late Emperor Jaar. When the transformation was complete, the new emperor smiled at his master.

“Preserve the body,” ordered Lord Kommoron. “We will have need of it in the spring. I will go tell Grand General Kyrga that you and I have come to an agreement. He will no longer restrict your movement.”

“Kyrga is not to know then?”

“No one is to know. Don your imperial robes. I want you to walk around the palace this morning to see if anyone confides in you. Pay particular attention to General Forshire. While his alibi appears to be solid, he is not Baroukan. See if he speaks of your family, but do not appear to be baiting him. Be subtle.”

Lord Kommoron turned and left the emperor’s suite. He walked to Kyrga’s office and entered without knocking. The Grand General rose from his chair when he saw who had entered the room.

“Emperor Jaar and I have come to an accommodation. He is to be restricted no longer. You will serve him as you are supposed to serve the emperor. Is that clear?”

Grand General Kyrga frowned deeply as he shook his head vigorously. “No, it is not clear. If you restore Jaar to power, he will have me killed.”

“Do not fear Emperor Jaar,” smiled Lord Kommoron. “He serves me now, and you will faithfully serve him. Restore his personal bodyguard and remove your men.”

Grand General Kyrga stood dumbfounded as Lord Kommoron turned and left the room. For several minutes, he did not move. As the shock wore off, Kyrga sighed nervously and summoned a trusted officer. He issued the orders necessary to comply with the noble’s commands, but he purposely avoided any contact with Emperor Jaar. He was not about to test Lord Kommoron’s promise until he had a chance to view things from a distance.

* * * *

General Forshire sat on a bench on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Despair. He gazed out over the Sea of Tears and pondered the odds of really ending the upcoming war before it started.

“I have missed finding you out here on this bench,” Colonel Taerin said as he approached.

Clint glanced up at the colonel and smiled. “This will be my last chance to meditate here for some time. I am leaving within the hour to rejoin my men in Olansk.”

The colonel sat on the bench next to the general and sat silently for a moment before speaking.

“The emperor is out of his suite for the first time in weeks.”

“Is he?” Clint asked with genuine surprise. “Is he still avoiding you?”

“Not at all,” frowned the colonel, “yet neither is he friendly as he once was. I do not understand him.”

Clint also frowned, but not for the same reason. He could not imagine that Kyrga would allow the emperor to roam freely around the palace.

“I assume he still has his special guards close about him?”

“Not at all,” answered Colonel Taerin. “In fact, he has his old bodyguards back, both at his suite and about his person. One would think that he is as he always was, but I cannot help wondering about his change. I must have done something terribly wrong to be ignored by him. Have you talked to him recently?”

A chill of warning raced up Clint’s back, but he kept his expression bland. “I only arrived late last night, as you well know, and I am leaving within the hour. I am afraid that I will have no time to speak with the emperor. How close were you to Emperor Jaar before the celebration?”

“I liked to think that he highly favored me,” shrugged the colonel, “but obviously I have been deluding myself. The emperor took you into his confidence once when he asked you to investigate the Kent matter. He must think highly of you. Perhaps you could talk to him before you leave?”

Clint frowned at the request. The last thing he wanted to do at this point was to be seen talking to Emperor Jaar. As he sat staring out at the sea, he found his hand toying with Morro’s hourglass in his pouch. It reminded him of the need to make personal contact with the elf before he headed north.

“I am afraid that I cannot help you, Colonel. I am running behind schedule already. My advice to you is to let things be as they are. If you serve the emperor faithfully, he may once again take you under his wing.”

“I may have misjudged you,” the colonel replied with disappointment. “I thought you were the one person here who would go out of his way to help me. The emperor has already shown that he trusts you. Am I asking so much of you?”